Nitrogen mineralization is the process by which organic N is converted to plant-available inorganic
forms. Soils regularly amended with organic wastes will accumulate organic N until they
reach a steady-state condition, a concept useful for planning N management strategies. Several
factors affect mineralization rates, particularly temperature, so that release varies throughout the
year in a predictable pattern. An understanding of these patterns is necessary to match crop N
demands with the plant-available N in the soil.